Communications Blog

9/23 Week in Review

September 23, 2017

Week In Review

URGENT: The Affordable Care Act Is Under Attack Again

Trumpcare is back from the dead. Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy are co-sponsoring a last ditch effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act in the U.S. Senate, and GOP Senators are falling behind them in support of the Graham-Cassidy health care bill.

When the Senate voted on the last version of Trumpcare, the bill was defeated when three Republican Senators--Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and John McCain--bravely joined Democratic Senators and put the needs of the American people ahead of their party allegiance. On Friday, John McCain came out in opposition to this latest attempt to repeal the ACA. That means it will take two more Republicans to vote with Democrats to stop Trumpcare.

We don’t need to tell you what’s at stake if the Republicans are successful in repealing the ACA. In fact, the last time Republicans threatened to take health care away from millions of Americans, you shared with us your personal stories and made clear what is at stake: the health, dignity, and in many cases lives of those most important to us.

In Washington State, we are fortunate to be represented by two Senators who have pledged to defend the ACA against Republican attempts to repeal it. That means we can spend our time helping our progressive allies in other states connect with their moderate or persuadable Republican Senators.

Our friends at Indivisible have made the process easy and painless. They have set up a system to connect callers with constituents in other states. Check out their calling tool here.

Now is the time to call. If you have never called before, these are easy conversations with folks like us who are worried about losing their health care. If you have phone banked before, chances are these calls will be the easiest--and very possibly most important--you’ll ever make.

Dino Rossi Runs Again

Speaking of revivals of the politically dead, three-time statewide loser Dino Rossi announced Thursday night that he is running to replace the retiring Reichert, confirming the rumors and rumblings from the Washington State Republican Party and prompting countless Washingtonians to mutter under their breaths, “Is he really running again?” Our response Thursday night was a #tbt (“throwback Thursday” for the non-millennials) in which we reminisced about Dino Rossi’s last three runs for public office:

Washington State voters have rejected Rossi’s inane anti-woman, anti-worker, anti-Washington stances three times. But Dino “Rerun” Rossi just keeps coming back for more, driven by a misguided conviction that he somehow deserves to hold public office despite not being able to convince voters to trust him at any point in the past 17 years.

But let’s not kid ourselves-- Rossi does have some advantages.

He has a huge fundraising network. In fact, his announcement Thursday night happened at a high-dollar, closed-door fundraiser in Bellevue where no media were allowed. Typical Dino Rossi: He didn’t waste time appealing to the communities he would serve as a member of Congress; he went straight for the heavy pocketbooks of out-of-district donors. By the way, the fundraiser where Rossi announced his intention to run was headlined by Greg Gutfeld, a Fox News host who harassed a female co-host on the air, making sure Fox News kept up Bill O’Reilly’s legacy of sexual harassment just hours after O’Reilly was fired.

He has the name recognition that comes with running--and losing--in three statewide races. Dino Rossi does not have the backs of his fellow Washingtonians, but he does have their attention. After losing twice to Governor Christine Gregoire and once to Senator Patty Murray, Rossi has become a household name in Washington State.

Because of Dino’s friends’ deep pockets and his name-recognition, we need to fight hard for every vote in the 8th Congressional District.

Luckily we have been laying the groundwork for quite some time, and the moment Dave Reichert announced that he was no longer running, the Washington State Democrats went on the offensive in a big way. We immediately announced the beginning of our Flip the 8th Organizing Academies, where our fantastic team of organizers will be training volunteers to lead Democrats’ efforts in the 8th Congressional District and beyond.

Last Sunday we held our first Flip the 8th Organizing Academy in Wenatchee. The training was a huge success, and we’re encouraging anyone who wants to help lead the fight against Dino Rossi to attend one of our future sessions. This is going to be one of the most contentious political battles anywhere in the country in 2018. If you want in on the action, sign up now by clicking on the location near you.

More Organizing Academy sessions will be announced soon, so stay tuned!

Jinyoung Englund Opposes Equal Pay Legislation

Republican candidate in the 45th Legislative District Jinyoung Englund has some horrifying views on the gender pay gap: namely that it doesn’t really exist. But to the extent that she believes it might exist, it’s all women’s faults. They’re apparently just not good enough at negotiating. Click the thumbnail below to watch the video.

Jinyoung Englund’s archaic views on equality underscore what’s at stake in the 45th LD’s special election for state Senate. Jinyoung is not just a Republican candidate; she is Republican operative who has toed the party line since the beginning of her career. For years she has fallen in lockstep with her former employers like Cathy McMorris Rodgers and the anti-LGBTQ, anti-choice, anti-environment Heritage Foundation. Now Jinyoung Englund’s campaign is trying to convince voters that she’s an independent.

She’s not.

DNC Vice Chair Michael Blake’s Visit

In the last Week In Review, we told you about last Friday’s successful event for members of The Resistance with special guests Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and DNC Vice Chair Michael Blake. But that was just the beginning of Michael Blake’s weekend here -- and what a weekend it was!

During his stay in Washington State, Michael Blake helped Congresswoman Suzan DelBene kick off a canvas for Manka Dhingra in the 45th LD; he stopped by Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s shrimp feed, and he gave an inspiring keynote address at the 31st Annual Eastside Democrats Dinner.

A big thank you to Michael for visiting our corner of the country, speaking to the values that we stand for as Democrats, and always filling the room with his enthusiasm and energy!

Washington Women Are Rising Throughout The State’s Rural Regions

Across Washington State, Democratic women are rising up and shaping their communities, from the urban centers in the western part of the state to the rolling rural landscape of the Columbia River Gorge and the wide-open ranches and farmland of Eastern Washington.

This week, Crosscut published an article featuring women who are influencing government in Washington State’s Klickitat County. The article features our very own Klickitat County Chair Sasha Bentley, Secretary Shelley Baxter, and Treasurer Lori Foster Harvey. Thank you to these women leaders who are working to improve their communities through the political process!

In the northeastern part of Washington State, two other women are standing up for Democratic values where it has been historically unpopular to do so--and they are being met with an amazing response from their communities. Karen Hardy and Susan Swanson are both running for office to represent Washington’s 7th Legislative District, Karen in the Senate and Susan in the House.

Bob Ferguson Sues Over Treatment of Detainees at the Northwest Immigration Detention Center

On Wednesday, Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that his office is bringing a lawsuit against the GEO Group for wage violations in its management of the Northwest Immigration Detention Center in Tacoma. According to the lawsuit filed by the Attorney General’s Office, GEO is in violation of Washington State law by not properly compensating detainees who work at the facility. Watch the video below to learn more.

WA Democrats Latest Posts

Once again, WA State is leading the way! Governor Jay Inslee just signed into law automatic voter registration, Election Day registration, pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds, and the state Voting Rights Act. It's a good day for Democracy.